Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
School of the Environment, Geography & Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2022 Sep 9;17(9):e0273972. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273972. eCollection 2022.
NGOs utilise a range of programming to bring about desired changes. This study examines the advantages and limitations of the range of approaches used by one particular NGO sector: working equid welfare organisations, from the perspective of NGO staff. NGO staff hold a wealth of knowledge regarding the design and implementation of welfare improvement initiatives; however this knowledge is rarely systematically documented. Through 32 semi-structured interviews the experiences of staff across multiple organisations were explored. The nine most commonly utilised approaches within equid focussed NGO programming were discussed with participants. Many themes resulting from the interviews centred around the strengths and disadvantages of these individual approaches, implemented both historically and presently by different NGOs. The influences of the context in which initiatives took place and barriers to welfare improvement that existed across approaches were also examined. Striking a balance came through as a strong theme at many levels. Balancing top-down versus bottom-up approaches was a frequently voiced concern, as was balancing the utility of certain approaches against associated factors warranting caution. Combinations of approaches that were felt to be complementary provided a balance that drew on the strengths and mitigated for the weaknesses of different approaches. The need to tailor approaches to individual contexts was also raised and is especially relevant to INGOs working across multiple countries, cultures and political structures. The study provides an informed insight into potential factors to consider when designing future welfare initiatives. The collaborative pooling of experience across different NGOs could help make welfare initiatives more effective and provide a framework for NGOs in other fields to learn from each other's collective knowledge.
非政府组织利用各种方案来实现预期的变革。本研究从非政府组织工作人员的角度，考察了特定非政府组织部门（工作马福利组织）所采用的一系列方法的优缺点。非政府组织工作人员在福利改善举措的设计和实施方面拥有丰富的知识；然而，这些知识很少被系统地记录下来。通过 32 次半结构化访谈，探讨了多个组织工作人员的经验。与参与者讨论了马福利重点非政府组织方案中最常用的九种方法。访谈中产生的许多主题都围绕着这些不同非政府组织历史上和目前实施的个别方法的优缺点展开。还研究了倡议开展所处环境的影响以及不同方法存在的福利改善障碍。在许多层面上，取得平衡是一个强烈的主题。平衡自上而下和自下而上的方法是一个经常被提及的问题，平衡某些方法的实用性与需要谨慎对待的相关因素也是如此。互补的方法组合被认为提供了一种平衡，利用了不同方法的优势，并减轻了它们的弱点。还提出了根据个别情况调整方法的必要性，这对于在多个国家、文化和政治结构中开展工作的国际非政府组织尤其重要。本研究深入了解了在设计未来福利倡议时需要考虑的潜在因素。不同非政府组织之间经验的协作汇集可以帮助提高福利倡议的效果，并为其他领域的非政府组织提供一个从彼此的集体知识中学习的框架。
